The invention relates to an apparatus for the storage and dispensing of sheet-like material, in particular bank notes, and to a guide device and a conveyor device for this apparatus.
Apparatuses for the storage and dispensing of bank notes are known, for example, in the form of the cash dispensers operated by banks which dispense requested monetary amounts within the existing credit limit after the insertion of credit or cheque cards and after entering a PIN number. Such cash dispensers are, however, very complex with respect to their design.
With gambling machines, for example, there is a need to pay out monetary amounts of some 100 deutschmarks after winning as part of a special game series; this is currently generally done by paying out coins. However, to avoid the pay-out of a large number of coins, there is a need to pay out large amounts using bank notes from gambling machines, too, particularly if the gambling machines are also designed to accept notes to deposit the game credit. However, only those apparatuses for the dispensing of bank notes can be considered for gambling machines which can be manufactured at a favourable cost.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the type first given which is characterised by a simple and economically performable construction and which simultaneously ensures a reliable conveying of the bank notes, and to provide a guide device and a conveyor device for the apparatus.
The object is solved by the features of the invention. Advantageous embodiments can be seen herein.
The apparatus in accordance with the invention for the storage and dispensing of sheet-like material, in particular bank notes, has a compartment module in which a plurality of individual compartments are arranged, with a slider being provided which can be moved into and out of a compartment. Both a slider for the whole apparatus or a slider for every compartment can be provided. A sheet-like material, which is positioned in front of an opening of a compartment, can be pushed into the compartment by the slider while being folded and pushed out of the compartment again. Furthermore, a guide device is provided which can be displaced between two positions, with the guide device being designed so that in a first position, the sheet-like material can be introduced into the guide device and the opening of the compartment into which the sheet-like material is to be introduced is blocked by the guide device. The guide device can be brought into a second position so that the opening of the compartment becomes free, whereupon the sheet-like material can be introduced with the slider. A safe and reliable guiding of the sheet-like material or bank note can thus be ensured by the guide device, such as, for example, a guiding in the feed plane of the bank note in front of the opening of the compartment. An erroneous escaping to the side of the bank note can be prevented by the guide device. The bank note reaching the point of intersection between, for example, the horizontal direction of introduction of the bank note into the compartment and, for example, the perpendicular feed plane can no longer be erroneously guided into the now blocked opening of the compartment due to the guide device so that the bank note is reliably guided into the desired feed plane. This point of intersection between the direction of introduction into the compartment and the feed direction of the bank note can reliably be crossed by the bank note with the guide device so that the bank note is reliably forwarded at this point of intersection. After the bank note has ended its feed movement, the guide device is brought into the second position, in which the opening of the compartment is free, so that the bank note can be introduced into the compartment by the slider.
As already stated, it is possible to provide every single compartment with a slider so that advantageously the slider of the respective compartment is only moved when a bank note is to be inserted or taken out. It is alternatively also feasible to provide a single slider in the apparatus with which bank notes can be introduced into or taken out of the individual compartments. In this process, either the slider can be moved along the individual compartments of the compartment module or the compartment module can be moved past the slider.
Preferably, a conveyor device is provided for the feeding of the sheet-like material at the apparatus for the storage and dispensing of sheet-like material with which the sheet-like material or a bank note is fed from an insertion opening of the guide device, with advantageously a test apparatus for the bank note being provided.
A lever is advantageously provided which is coupled to the guide device and the slider so that the slider engages into the lever when moving out or in its position moved out of the compartment, whereby the lever is pivoted out of its rest position, with the guide device also being displaced via the coupling of the lever to the guide device so that the opening of the compartment is blocked by the guide device. When the slider is moved in to introduce a bank note into the compartment, the lever is pivoted back into its rest position so that the guide device releases the opening of the compartment again.
The lever is advantageously biased in its rest position by a spring, with the opening of the compartment being released by the guide device.
Drive elements can be provided for the slider, the guide device, the lever and the conveyor device or only for individual elements thereof, which ensure the desired procedure in the introduction of the sheet-like material into the compartment. Suitable detectors can be provided here for the control of the respective drive which detect individual elements at certain positions, such as the slider in the waiting position or a conveyed bank note shortly before reaching the crossover point of feed plane and the direction of introduction into the compartment. Suitable detectors can be, for example, light barriers or end switches, which emit desired signals on contact with a bank note, the slider or other moving parts of the apparatus.
The compartment module is advantageously designed to be displaceable, with a controlled drive being able to be provided to displace the compartment module.
The slider or the actuating apparatus for the slider is advantageously designed such that the slider is displaceable from the pushed in position in the compartment further into a dispensing position in order to dispense a bank note lying in the compartment.
In this process, a dispensing device can be provided at the dispensing side of the compartment, which is advantageously opposite the insertion side, which can take up the bank note and transport it onwards. The dispensing device can advantageously be formed by a roll pair between which the bank note to be dispensed is transported. Subsequent to the roll pair, the bank note can be transported onwards by, for example, a suitable belt conveyor apparatus.
The slider is advantageously formed as a planar plate which has one or more recesses in order to move past the dispensing device, in particular the roll pair. In this way, a reliable guiding of the bank note to be dispensed into the dispensing device can be realised.
The guide device for sheet-like material, in particular bank notes, in accordance with the invention has a first guide plane and a second guide plane which are opposite one another so that a guide gap for the sheet-like material is formed therebetween. A feed opening is formed at one side of the opposite guide planes into which the sheet-like material can be introduced. An outlet opening can be provided opposite the feed opening at the other side of the opposite guide planes and the guided sheet-like material can exit from this. It is, however, not absolutely necessary for the guided sheet-like material to exit at the outlet opening. If the opposite guide planes are long enough in the feed direction, then the total introduced sheet-like material is guided in the guide gap. At least one coupling element is provided at the guide device which is suitable for an engagement of a movement apparatus for the guide device. The guide device can be moved between desired positions via this coupling element so that, for example, one of the guide planes of the guide device comes to rest in front of a crossover point at which the fed sheet-like material could easily escape from the desired path without a guide device.
A feed apparatus is advantageously provided at the feed opening which can represent an opening tapering in the direction of the feed opening of the opposite guide planes. This feed apparatus can, for example, take on the function of a funnel so that a sheet-like material to be introduced can be introduced reliably into the guide gap between the guide planes.
The feed apparatus is preferably formed by pair-wise opposite elements at the first or second guide plane which can be formed, for example, as fork-like tongues.
The at least one coupling element of the guide device is preferably formed by recesses which can be arranged at the sides of one or both guide planes. A suitable movement device, such as a lever for example, can then engage into these recesses in order to move the guide device.
In accordance with the invention, the guide device for sheet-like material is used in an apparatus for the storage or dispensing of sheet-like material.
The conveyor device for sheet-like material, in particular bank notes, in accordance with the invention has a first guide metal sheet at which a sheet-like materialxe2x80x94termed a bank note by way of example in the followingxe2x80x94can be conveyed. At least one moving belt extends along the first guide metal sheet and can be moved on an upper or lower side of the guide metal sheet along its surface so that the sheet-like material can be transported in the intermediate space between the guide metal sheet and the belt. It is also possible to provide only two adjacent moving belts for the transport of the sheet-like material therebetween.
A second guide metal sheet is advantageously provided opposite the first guide metal sheet so that the sheet-like material to be transported can be reliably transported by the moving belt between the first and second guide metal sheets.
The moving belt is preferably formed as an endless belt and guided via a pulley block, with this pulley block being able to be pivoted such that a pressure force can be generated between the belt and the first guide metal sheet for the sheet-like material to be transported, whereby this can be reliably transported.